TownTalk: VGCC Celebrates 40 Years Of Golf

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Calling all golfers! Make plans to play a round of golf, celebrate 40 years of teeing it up for Vance-Granville Community College and help students, all at once.

2024 marks the 40th anniversary of the VGCC tournament, and Sheri Jones, associate director for the VGCC Foundation said there are plenty of opportunities to support the fundraiser even if you’ve never swung a club.

“It’s a big anniversary for us,” Jones said Tuesday on TownTalk. This year’s two-day event takes place at Henderson Country Club on Monday, May 6 and Tuesday, May 7. Register four-member teams for $560 or register individually for $150.

Sponsor details can be found at www.vgcc.edu/golf, Jones said. The VGCC Foundation is still looking for a presenting sponsor; all sponsorships greatly help defray costs associated with the group’s main fundraiser.

“If we don’t have the funds – a lot of our scholarships have certain criteria they have to meet,” Jones said, and some students simply don’t meet the criteria. Proceeds from the golf tournament go toward funding needs-based scholarships for students, which “fill those gaps where students may not qualify for the other scholarship we have,” she explained.

Previous tournaments have raised between $20,000 and $40,000, depending on the number of players and the number of sponsors.

Call The VGCC Foundation at 252.738.3264 or email foundation@vgcc.edu to learn more.

Jones said planning the tournament is a lot of work, but it’s well worth it.

“It’s a pleasure to do the work because we know the good result that it has for the college and for the students and therefore, for the community as a whole.”

CLICK PLAY!

 

Perry Memorial Library

The Local Skinny! Upcoming Events At Perry Memorial Library

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How is a librarian like a fisherman?

Well, if you ask Perry Library’s Youth Services Director Melody Peters, she might just liken her job of creating programs for young people like a fisherman casting a net into the ocean – you just never know how big the haul is going to be.

Some programs, Peters said, yield a lot of participants and others are a tad slower to catch on. “You just have to keep casting a net of programs,” she said, and eventually you’ll catch something.

In addition to staple programs like Survivor Hacks, Peters said she’s excited about a program on Monday, Apr. 8 to witness the solar eclipse.

“We’re supposed to have a decent shot at visibility,” she told WIZS co-host Bill Harris. The program will be from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m., with ideal conditions around 2:30 p.m., she predicted. The library has special glasses for viewing. No registration is necessary – just show up and enjoy! There will be activities in the Farm Bureau Room to go along with the actual eclipse viewing.

The next day, Tuesday, Apr. 9, teens can come back to the library at 4 p.m. for a program called “Black Out poetry,” which involves using books that have been removed from the library shelves because they’re damaged or in such disrepair they can’t be sold at library book sales.

The way it works is this: kids become poets by blacking out words in a sentence to leave the one word or phrase that will ultimately be part of a poem.

“It’s kind of cool to see what you can create by blacking out words in sentences,” she said.

She hopes that some of the participants will share during a read-aloud session when they’re done.

And then at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Apr. 21 bring the family for a book sale and tea party to celebrate National Tea Day. Around the World Tea Day is another way to create programming for busy families who may be available during the weekend, especially Sundays.

It’s a way to support the Friends of the Library book sales and provide activities for families to  enjoy the library.

Visit https://www.perrylibrary.org/ to learn more.

 

CLICK PLAY!

 

Community Partners of Hope

CPOH Shelter Making Progress Toward May Move; Many Ways For Community To Help

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The transformation from church facility to men’s shelter continues at the former City Road Methodist Church location, and there are many opportunities for the community to help in advance of a hopeful May move-in date.

An immediate need is for groups to provide or sponsor meals for the next couple of months, according to information from Community Partners of Hope, especially for dates leading up to and including Easter Sunday – Most needed dates are Mar. 28, Mar. 29 and Mar. 31 (Easter Sunday).

Sign up HERE with this link if you or your organization can provide a meal for the men at the shelter.

There are numerous other ways to help:

  • Replenish snack items – PopTarts or breakfast bars, peanut butter crackers, bags of single-size chips and other items individually wrapped items that the men can take with them during the day
  • Laundry pods

Visit THIS LINK HERE for dropoff instructions for donated items.

Church groups, civic organizations and others can provide help through service projects – here are just a few tasks that need to be completed:

  • Help assemble and paint 3 new bunkbeds
  • Help disassemble, move, re-assemble and touch up 5 existing beds
  • Help paint exterior doors and windows (this can happen after the move)
  • Help move items from old shelter to new – washer/dryer, shelving, supplies and more
  • Clean bathrooms, carpet, etc. in the sanctuary wing to make it ready to lease to a congregation who needs a church to call home
  • Help arrange supplies in the new shelter

Please call 252.432.9494 to sign up to help.

Community Partners of Hope also needs the following items – free would be great, but at least for purchase at a reasonable price:

  • 8 single mattresses for bunk beds
  • Heavy duty washer/dryer – we will have 2 sets in the new shelter
  • Folding cots to use with air mattresses (need 12)
  • Air mattresses – easy inflatable – we have a pump (need 8)
  • TV monitor for security system – prefer 42-inch

If you or someone you know has experience with technology, the shelter needs help selecting, purchasing and installing the following:

  • WiFi router – mesh system – probably 3 nodes – need help with research
  • Electronic combination door locks – WiFi enabled (6 or 8) – need help researching best brand to purchase

And, as always, financial donations are much-needed and welcome. The 365 Dream Team campaign is one way to sustain the shelter ministry with $1/day contributions – the goal is to get 365 donors to become members of the 365 Dream Team. Learn more at www.cp-hope.org.

 

TownTalk: Police Chief Concerned With Litter Problem

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Henderson Police Chief Marcus Barrow wants the public to be on the lookout for…signs in their neighborhoods that are part of an anti-litter campaign.

The signs will feature brightly colored handprints – about the size of a child’s hand – and will include a QR code that is linked directly to Crime Stoppers, so the public can report instances of littering by pointing their cell phone at the code.

Barrow told WIZS Monday on TownTalk that the campaign is as much about education and prevention as it is about catching litterbugs.

With a modest $6,000 budget from a federal asset forfeiture funds allocation, Barrow said he plans to target elementary school-aged children across the city to impress upon them the importance of keeping litter off the streets.

“It’s going to be an inclusive campaign,” Barrow said, adding that there will be ways to tie in with businesses, pastors and churches and individuals. “We’re just going to try to throw the kitchen sink at this thing,” he said.

City Manager Terrell Blackmon helped get quarterly cleanups started when he came on board, which complements the state’s annual Litter Sweep campaign, which this year is April 26.

Barrow said he still recalls those catchy phrases he learned when he was in elementary school, and they’ve stuck with him – “Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires,” and “Give a Hoot – Don’t Pollute,” to name a few.

This campaign’s catch phrases aimed at schoolchildren can have a similar lasting effect on today’s young people – “Don’t Trash Our Future” and “Children Deserve a Clean Community” bring home the message to put trash in its place.

There’s even talk of having stickers that fast-food restaurants will put on their bags that will contain the anti-litter messaging, Barrow said, “to put it in as many faces as we can to prevent (littering) instead of taking punitive measures.”

More information about the upcoming campaign should be available in the next couple of weeks.

 

 

Friday Ceremony Names Satterwhite Point Bridge Over I-85 For Master Trooper Brent Montgomery

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Dozens of uniformed State Highway Patrol troopers stood solemnly Friday afternoon around a crowd of easily more than 100 friends and family members gathered for the first part of a dedication ceremony to honor the late Master Trooper James Brent Montgomery.

The bridge that carries SR 1319 – Satterwhite Road – over I-85 in northern Vance County was officially named in Montgomery’s memory.

Montgomery died in March 2021 of complications from COVID-19. He was 50.

In opening remarks, Brandon Jones, division engineer for NCDOT, said Montgomery will be remembered for the integrity and compassion that he displayed in the pursuit of law and order.

“He was a loving husband, father and friend,” Jones said, and active in his community and church.

Pastor Gary Harper offered the invocation and benediction for the brief ceremony held indoors at Kerr Lake Country Club. Harper said he married Montgomery and his wife, Heather, and he dedicated their children.

He called Montgomery a “dreamer,” someone with a vision – whether it was for a good-looking vehicle or a fancy watch, both things he was fond of.

SHP Maj. William P. Moore II was one of several speakers who recalled his friend and colleague and said the sign on the bridge will serve as a public reminder of the sacrifices that law enforcement officers make every day in the line of duty.

Montgomery’s compassion wasn’t something he learned, Moore said; rather, that compassion was “simply the core of Brent’s spirit.”

That green highway sign with the words “Master Trooper Brent Montgomery Bridge “is an outward reminder of (our) gratitude for his service…we owe it to our fallen heroes to uphold his memory.”

N.C. Rep. Frank Sossamon recalled how the whole community rallied around Montgomery and his family when illness struck. There was an outpouring of support to pull together fundraisers during his sickness and everybody pitched in to make them successful.

“He left us too soon…but he gave us so much,” Sossamon noted. “He was loved, respected, valued and appreciated.”

Unlike the other speakers, N.C. Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson said he had not had the pleasure of knowing Montgomery. Robinson said he recalled attending the trooper’s funeral, and felt a little awkward because this was someone that he really didn’t know.

“But I see him every day in the faces of the troopers…in other police officers across this state…in the faces of all these people in this room,” Robinson said.

When people drive across the newly named bridge, some of them will only know that a law enforcement officer who lost his life is remembered by the state.

“There are many more people…who will ride across that bridge and smile,” because they knew just who Brent Montgomery was.

“His name on that bridge is more than a plaque,” Robinson said. “It stands as a legacy.”

And speaking directly to the trooper’s family seated on the front row, he asked them to consider one thing when they pass over the Master Trooper Brent Montgomery Bridge and remember their loved one: “Don’t shed a tear, but smile.”

A steady drizzle Friday afternoon didn’t affect the procession of Highway Patrol cars, blue lights blazing, down the ramp to northbound I-85 at Parham Road to reach their destination at the Satterwhite Road bridge. Rescue vehicles and fire trucks of all shapes and sizes blocked traffic to allow the entourage to pass unhindered. A ladder truck was parked along the interstate at the Satterwhite Road bridge displaying a giant American flag as part of the dedication ceremony.

One Man Injured In Shooting On N. Clark Street

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PRESS RELEASE from Henderson Police Department

On Wednesday, March 13, around 10:28 PM, officers with the Henderson Police Department responded to 213 N. Clark Street in reference to a person who had been shot. Upon arrival, officers found a 67-year-old male suffering from a single gunshot wound to the abdomen.

The victim was transported to an area hospital for treatment and has since been released from the hospital. Members of the Henderson Police Department Criminal Investigations Division are actively investigating the incident and following up on promising leads.

Anyone with information related to this incident is encouraged to contact the Henderson Police Department at 252.438.4141, your local law enforcement agency, Crime Stoppers at 252.492.1925, or use the P3 app on a smartphone or tablet device. Callers may remain anonymous. Crime Stoppers offers rewards for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of suspects involved in criminal acts.

VGCC Logo

Tickets On Sale Now For VGCC Foundation Beer, Wine Tasting Fundraiser Apr. 13

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– information courtesy of VGCC Public Information Officer Courtney Cissel

The Vance-Granville Community College Foundation is hosting a wine and beer tasting event on Saturday, April 13 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at HighRock Farms in Granville County. Tickets are $75. Proceeds of the fundraiser will be used to help support students who find them facing unforeseen financial crises.

The theme for the event is “Be the Light in a Student’s Life,” and there will be an array of wineries represented to highlight their signature wines. Local brewery Tobacco Wood Brewing Company will be showcasing their craft beers  Guests will be able to pair their beverages with an assortment of sweet and savory foods, including seafood, chicken and beef, according to a press release from VGCC Public Information Officer Courtney Cissel.

Unexpected burdens can easily derail some students. Having initiatives like a stocked food pantry, emergency assistance, transportation vouchers, and career closet, The VGCC Foundations steps in to meet students’ basic needs when the unexpected gets in the way of their academic progress.

Attendees will receive a souvenir wine glass and have the option to purchase their favorite finds. In addition, a variety of silent auction items will be on display for bidding throughout the evening. A short program showcasing students who have benefited from donor contributions will open the evening, and local students will provide the event’s entertainment.

Beth and David Hollister operate HighRock Farms, a 200-acre property located at 2317 Enon Rd., Oxford. The venue is handicap accessible.

Dress for the evening is business attire.

Purchase tickets at The VGCC Foundation office, online at www.vgcc.edu/the-vgcc-foundation-online-gifts and enter “Gala” in the Designation box. To purchase tickets using any other form of payment, please contact The VGCC Foundation by email at foundation@vgcc.edu or by calling 252.738.3264.